Average Environmental Scientist Salary in Russia for 2026
An environmental scientist in Russia earns about 1,858,200 RUB a year. That's 49% above the national average of 1,249,900 RUB.
Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in Russia sit around 985,700 RUB a year, while the very top stretches to 2,819,600 RUB. Everything on this page is in Russian ruble (RUB, symbol ₽), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.
The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in Russia, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.
How much does an environmental scientist make in Russia?
A typical environmental scientist working in Russia brings home around 154,850 RUB a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 985,700 RUB, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 2,819,600 RUB for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.
The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior environmental scientist working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around.
How environmental scientist pay ranges in Russia
A good way to think about salary in Russia is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all environmental scientists in Russia earn less than 1,741,800 RUB a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".
Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 1,224,800 RUB (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 2,146,100 RUB (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of environmental scientists sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.
The very lowest reported salaries sit around 985,700 RUB. The highest stretch to 2,819,600 RUB, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.
Environmental scientist pay by experience in Russia
Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for an environmental scientist in Russia, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical environmental scientist salary changes as you move through the career ladder.
- 0-2 Years1,130,200 RUB
- 2-5 Years+23% from previous1,391,600 RUB
- 5-10 Years+41% from previous1,967,000 RUB
- 10-15 Years+17% from previous2,304,300 RUB
- 15-20 Years+10% from previous2,533,800 RUB
- 20+ Years+6% from previous2,676,200 RUB
The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 41%. That is the point at which a environmental scientist typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.
Environmental scientist pay by education in Russia
Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving environmental scientist pay in Russia. Higher qualifications consistently pull higher salaries, but the size of the gap tends to be smallest at junior levels and widens as people move up. Two people in the same role with the same years of experience but different degrees can end up earning very different money once they reach mid-career.
Below is the average environmental scientist salary in Russia broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.
- Bachelor's Degree1,235,600 RUB
- Master's Degree+60% from previous1,980,600 RUB
- PhD+30% from previous2,566,100 RUB
Environmental scientist gender pay gap in Russia
The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and Russia is no exception. Male environmental scientists in Russia earn an average of 1,921,500 RUB a year, while female environmental scientists earn around 1,777,700 RUB. That works out to a 8% gap in favour of men, even when comparing people doing the same work.
A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.
Environmental Scientist gender pay gap
7%
Men earn this much more than women on average in Russia.
Pay raises for an environmental scientist in Russia
Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.
A typical worker doing this role in Russia sees a raise of about 11% every 19 months, which works out to roughly 7% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.
Across all jobs in Russia, the national average raise is around 8% every 17 months.
By industry
Industries with the highest pay raises in Russia:
- Banking
- Energy
- Information Technology
- Healthcare
- Travel
- Construction
- Education2%
By experience level
Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.
- Junior Level3% - 5%
- Mid-Career
- Senior Level
- Top Management
Environmental scientist bonus rates in Russia
Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.
53% of environmental scientists in Russia reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes an environmental scientist a moderate-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.
Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 5% of base salary. The remaining 47% of environmental scientists reported no bonus at all over the same period.
Which careers pay bonuses in Russia
Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.
- Finance
- Architecture
- Sales
- Business Development
- Marketing / Advertising
- Information Technology
- Healthcare
- Insurance
- Customer Service
- Human Resources
- Construction
- Transport
- Hospitality
Environmental scientist: public vs private sector pay
Public-sector pay in Russia is about 6% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.
Public vs private pay gap
6%
Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in Russia on average.
Environmental scientist salary by city in Russia
Environmental scientist pay is not even across Russia. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities in the dataset, followed by the full location table.
- Moscow
- Saint Petersburg
- Yekaterinburg
- Nizhny Novgorod
- Kazan
- Chelyabinsk
- Krasnoyarsk
- Omsk
- Samara
- Rostov-on-Don
| Location | Type | Average | Median | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moscow | City | 2,304,300 RUB | 2,401,300 RUB | 1,105,600-3,622,400 RUB |
| Saint Petersburg | City | 2,254,400 RUB | 2,254,400 RUB | 1,129,700-3,490,200 RUB |
| Yekaterinburg | City | 2,184,900 RUB | 2,314,800 RUB | 1,025,100-3,444,200 RUB |
| Nizhny Novgorod | City | 2,161,200 RUB | 1,980,600 RUB | 1,162,300-3,253,900 RUB |
| Kazan | City | 2,076,600 RUB | 1,942,700 RUB | 1,099,800-3,156,400 RUB |
| Chelyabinsk | City | 2,026,800 RUB | 2,184,900 RUB | 932,800-3,217,900 RUB |
| Krasnoyarsk | City | 2,015,600 RUB | 2,146,100 RUB | 949,600-3,192,300 RUB |
| Omsk | City | 2,003,200 RUB | 1,967,000 RUB | 1,023,400-3,094,100 RUB |
| Samara | City | 1,942,700 RUB | 1,980,600 RUB | 953,300-3,035,200 RUB |
| Rostov-on-Don | City | 1,942,700 RUB | 2,015,600 RUB | 931,700-3,047,800 RUB |
| Krasnodar | City | 1,908,800 RUB | 2,052,200 RUB | 874,900-3,023,200 RUB |
| Saratov | City | 1,896,700 RUB | 1,930,500 RUB | 926,000-2,953,200 RUB |
| Volgograd | City | 1,811,000 RUB | 1,741,800 RUB | 939,600-2,773,700 RUB |
| Izhevsk | City | 1,811,000 RUB | 1,811,000 RUB | 903,500-2,794,600 RUB |
Environmental Scientist in Russia: FAQs
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How much does an environmental scientist make per month in Russia?
An environmental scientist in Russia earns about 154,850 RUB a month before tax, based on an annual average of 1,858,200 RUB.
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What's the salary range for an environmental scientist in Russia?
Entry-level environmental scientists in Russia start near 985,700 RUB. Top-end pay reaches around 2,819,600 RUB. The middle 50% of earners sit between 1,224,800 and 2,146,100 RUB.
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Is the median environmental scientist salary in Russia higher or lower than the average?
The median is 1,741,800 RUB, lower than the average of 1,858,200 RUB. Half of environmental scientists in Russia earn below the median, half earn above it.
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What's the gender pay gap for environmental scientists in Russia?
Men working as an environmental scientist in Russia earn around 8% more than women on average (1,921,500 vs 1,777,700 RUB a year).
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Do environmental scientists in Russia get bonuses?
About 53% of environmental scientists in Russia reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 5% of base salary.
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Do environmental scientists earn more in the public or private sector in Russia?
In Russia, the public sector pays an environmental scientist about 6% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.
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How often do environmental scientists in Russia get a pay raise?
An environmental scientist in Russia sees a raise of around 11% every 19 months, equivalent to roughly 7% a year.